


The Cottagecore Fic

by str4wb3rrypunk



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, M/M, Marriage, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/str4wb3rrypunk/pseuds/str4wb3rrypunk
Summary: not me posting this to ao3anyways, this is just a simple rayrard fic - an au where ray and gee got together and developed into a slight cottagecore style marriage, ray still working in the music field and gerard still becoming a comic book writer. it details a day from gerard's pov - third person obviously (to hell with first person we as a society progressed past the need for first person point of view in fanfics), from working to getting home and sleeping.and it's also technically a birthday gift for my mutual on twt lmao, HEY BEAR!!!! EAT UP BABY!!!!additional warning: i almost never write fics, especially not to this degree, and english isn't my first language, so just be wary about how good you think this would be, while still keeping in mind that i Tried My Best. also, with gerard using he/they - i often switch between the pronouns, hopefully it wasn't too confusing :(
Relationships: Ray Toro/Gerard Way
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	The Cottagecore Fic

“You know what this is?” Gerard asked calmly.

“What is it?” Mikey asked in return.

“It’s a pile of garbage,” Gerard hissed dramatically, dropping his head onto the pile of papers surrounding him on the library table, “and I’m supposed to be making sense of it until tomorrow.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have a deadline.”

“I set one for myself.” He replied in a timid manner.

“Yeah, no,” He heard his brother groan over the phone, “don’t do that to yourself, Gee.”

But what else was he supposed to do? He had so many ideas for new comics - so many, that they became a mountain of incoherent junk, and he had no idea where to begin.

“How about you tell me the first idea you came up with, and you’ll try to walk me through the concept and piece it together as you go?” Mikey suggested. “Fake it till you make it?”

After a few grumbles, Gerard agreed. “So there’s this boy..”

“And what does he do?”

“He’s just moved to a new apartment..” They continued hesitantly, flipping through the pile and placing each page already read in the correct order. “And he finds a cat.”

“In the apartment itself?” Mikey asked.

“Uh yeah, he thinks it was abandoned by the previous owners, or maybe it snuck in - there’s no collar.”

They heard Mikey laugh slightly over the phone. “Okay, you’re getting somewhere. What does he do with the cat? And please tell me your next sentence doesn’t include the word ‘fucking’ or anything.”

They rolled their eyes, “Very funny,” Mikey laughed a bit more. “He lets it hang around, and goes to post around about it in case anyone is missing a cat.”

“As every rational person does.”

“Yeah,” Gerard already managed to find a few missing pieces in the pile ahead of talking, “You know, I think this is legit helping me.”

“Aaaand what do you say?” Mikey snickered over the phone.

“Thanks, Mikey.” Gerard laughed.

“You’re welcome-” A different voice in the background of the call cut him off, and after a few moments of silence, Mikey got back on call. “Hey, dude, really sorry, gotta go - how about you just give yourself a break and, you know, forget the stupid fucking made up deadline?”

Gerard whined. Mikey sighed.

“Shouldn’t you get home already as well?”

They raised an eyebrow at the phone. “What are you talking about?” They turned it on to look at the time, “It’s not even- OH MY GOSH IT’S ALMOST TEN.”

“GERARD.”

“GOODBYE MICHAEL I’M GOING.” They quickly hung up on their brother and got up from the chair, spreading their arms and collecting all of the papers into their book back like a greedy gremlin collecting coins, and booked (ha. hahaha.) it out of the library, which they only noticed was almost completely empty now.

As much as he liked it that way, it only got empty late at night, and Gerard couldn’t stay there. As if it wasn’t quiet during the day too - it’s a fucking library.

He powerwalked towards the bus stop a few crosswalks away from the library, huddling into his jacket and shielding the book bag from the cold city winds.

The city always seemed distant, and cold. Both emotionally and physically. He could always work from home, Ray told him, but he felt like he’d get distracted way more than he does already at the library. The buzzing fluorescent lights and the smell of dusty books and bitter coffee kept him at bay at least for a few hours.

When Gerard already reached the bus stop, the bus was already pulling up, but a few frantic waves caught the driver’s eye and she paused to let him on.

“Thanks,” he mumbled under his breath and caught a vacant seat, rubbing his hands together to warm up under the cheap bus heating. 

The bus rolled off. The grey streets outside the windows became blurred, showing a fuzz of colour once in a while when they passed either a very bright store sign or a person wearing a neon coloured suit. Gerard cuddled the bag softly, leaning on the window and looking out. A soft drizzle of rain on the window quickly became a brutal pour, and thunder could be heard drumming through the skies now and then.

By that point, Gerard had realized they had forgotten their umbrella at home and hoped silently that the rain would slow down by the time they reached their stop.

The bag buzzed, causing him to jolt in a panic before he picked it up and his heart skipped a beat at the familiar name in the message preview.

‘Hey! When are you getting home?’

They bumped their forehead against the seat in front of them, groaning. They automatically thought Ray was upset with them. Who wouldn’t be, when your significant other barely talks with you throughout the day and then gets home super late?

They fumbled with the keyboard, looking for the right words.

‘i’m really really really really sorry :( i lost track of time’

And send. In less than a minute he got a response back.

‘Hey, I’m not mad, I just wanted to know when you think you’re gonna get here.’

‘around 5 mins’

‘Great!’ A GIF of two cats cuddling. ‘I’m gonna be home in a minute or so, see you there!’

Without realizing, Gerard swung his feet back and forth at the bottom of the seat.

‘actually,’ Gerard typed, ‘can you get on call?’

“Hey, baby.” Hearing Ray’s voice over the phone made his heart flutter in his chest. “H-Hey,” he cleared his throat, “how was your day?” He asked, much calmer now.

He heard a slight chuckle of relief over the phone, causing him to giggle as well. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s really good to hear your voice and realize it’s just as cute as I remembered it from this morning,” Ray answered simply.

Gerard blushed, zipping their jacket up and nuzzling their mouth in embarrassment into the cloth. “I’m really glad to hear from you, too. Sorry I didn’t call.”

“Hey, come on Gee, don’t sweat it.” He said, his tone shifting to a more soothing one. Gerard pressed the phone against their cheek, pretending like they’re talking to each other in person like Gerard is back in their cozy bed and not on a cold bus away. “It means it gives me more time to talk to you when you get back.”

“Hmm,” He hummed an answer, curling up on the seat sleepily. “Tell me how your day went, Ray. What did you do?”

“Well,” He heard him sigh and stretch over the phone. “Got up to you finishing all of the hot water in the shower.”

Gerard couldn’t help but giggle uncontrollably, “Sorry.~”

“And-” Ray laughed. “God I love you. And then I had to get on a call with my producer.”

“Yeah..” Gerard nodded as if Ray could actually see him.

“You’re getting sleepy, aren’t you?” Ray asked affectionately.

“Your voice is just..” They yawned. “Really comforting.”

A second of silence. “I wish I was home already.”

“I’m never letting you stay out this late again,” Ray said softly, barely heard, “you’re making me yearn.”

“I’m not gonna.” They wholeheartedly agreed. “Are you home yet?”

“Just entered the door. What do you want for dinner?”

Gerard had been so busy they forgot about their stomach growling. “Whatever, as long as you make it.”

That was an unexpectedly flirty remark, followed by a flustered giggly response from Ray.

“Just get here, Gee. I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” He whispered softly, closing his eyes and using Ray’s mindless affection showering and the soft dripping sound outside as white noise for the rest of the ride.

The icy grey view turned into a lush green one as they began pulling up to the final stop - Gerard’s stop.

The lean of the bus into the gravel stop shook Gee and they quickly made their way off, pretending like they didn’t almost fall asleep.

“Hey- Hey uh-” Gerard frantically talked into the phone, cutting Ray off. “I’m here, I’m getting home.”

Ray sighed. “Do you wanna hang up?”

Gerard looked up at the sky, big beads of rain falling on his face and dampening his hair. “I really don’t want to get my phone waterlogged.”

“Talk to you when you get here then,” Ray replied, “love you.”

“I’m literally gonna start running man.” 

He hung up as Ray laughed, shoving the phone deep into the pockets of his jacket and charging into the misty forest.

Here was another reason not to stay out too late - there’s barely any light and this place is fucking terrifying at night. Gerard stumbled through muddy rocks and snapped twigs, narrowly avoiding low hanging branches as the rain stung his eyes and his clothes got heavier from the water.

He imagined opening the door to their cottage and seeing Ray. Leaping and hugging him and kissing him and saying a thousand apologies and promising to never leave again like a kid.

He imagined finally changing back into his pyjamas and getting into bed with Ray, cuddling close as he read a book or something, with Gerard tucked under his arm as if he were a human-shaped weighted blanket. 

But he was out in the cold, and he had to get there fast.

They hopped the gate leading to their pathway, which was a bad idea as they slipped on the icy rocks and plunged themselves into the mud. Their clothes were muddy, their bookbag, their hair. Yet all they did was laugh. 

If Ray could see them right now, they thought, he’d laugh and sit in the mud too.

He got up after a few seconds and bolted it through the gravel path, quickly getting closer to the biggest source of light present in the forest’s clearing. Their cottage.

Gerard never imagined life would go this way. To live in a cottage with a former bandmate. But it made him so happy.

He skittered to a stop in front of the oak door, where he wiped his dirty shoes on the old doormat. After rummaging through the bag, he found his key, and went to unlock the door when he leaned in and realized-

“The door is open.” He thought out loud.

He opened it a bit more and immediately stumbled backwards at the heat hitting him, a faint smell of herbs intertwined in the gust.

They opened their eyes and saw Ray, standing in the kitchen holding a tomato.

“You are... Extremely wet.”

“And muddy.”

“And muddy.” He nodded. “You’re wet and muddy- what did you do?” Ray questioned his partner as he moved to get a towel, which dropped as Gerard decided to leap at him and wrap themselves around Ray.

They wrapped their legs around his waist and their arms around his shoulders, shoving their face into the part of his shoulder where the neck meets and just breathing - trying to get as much of him as possible all in one go. Ray placed his hands on Gerard’s lower back, giggling as he boosted him up to a tight embrace, staying still.

They didn’t have to exchange words. All they did was stay in place, wrapped around each other. Gerard closed his eyes, inhaling Ray’s scent and the warm smell of the cottage. He missed it so much and it was only a day.

He felt Ray start to walk, but ignored it. As long as he stayed in his arms. He heard the door close, and Ray nuzzled his face closer to Gerard’s cheek and hid a secret kiss in his hair, behind his ear where... Well, you know how the rest goes.

“I love you.” Gerard croaked into his neck.

“I love you too,” Ray replied. He could feel his smile stretching in his hair.

“Can we stay like this?”

“Of course.” Without hesitation, Ray leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, Gerard sliding to sit in his lap, sighing in relief. He ran his least wet hand through Ray’s curls, bringing his face up from his neck. “I missed you.”

Ray already tugged back a small section of Gerard’s shirt and trailed tiny, soft kisses there, “I missed you too.” He replied between kisses. They felt like a mixture of fire and butterflies on Gerard’s neck.

It was only then Gerard realized his clothes were still very much cold and dirty, and he stammered an apology. “S-Sorry about the mess.”

“It’s fine,” Ray replied, distracted, and tightened the embrace around him. They stayed still for what felt like an eternity to Gerard, but in a good way, with the occasional endearing whisper and kiss. He warmed up more, relaxing into the dip of the floor between Ray’s legs and stretching.

“I should change my clothes.”

Ray moved his mouth away from Gerard’s neck, who instinctively went to rub at the sudden cold there. “And go shower. I’ll make dinner, okay? Don’t move a single bone.”

“Mm, but you’re probably tired too...” Gerard whined, tugging on his curls gently as Ray slowly lifted them both up.

“It’s fine.” Ray turned and leaned Gerard against the wall, where he could finally look up at his face. Gerard eyed him as if he were looking at a masterpiece - which Ray could easily be in his opinion. 

He pressed a kiss to Ray’s chin, and he tilted his head forwards and caught his lips in his own.

“Kissing isn’t gonna excuse you, Gee.” Ray parted their lips and whispered softly into Gerard’s mouth. “Go.”

They gave in and shuffled to the bedroom to get some clothes before showering.

It was simple. A wooden panelled double bed, a closet, bedside tables and a bookshelf. They had some cute porcelain frogs they found at a yard sale, scattered around surfaces in the room. The bed was already made, Ray was probably home longer than he admitted to. He picked out some sweatpants, a t-shirt and a fresh pair of underwear before going to the bathroom.

They caught a glimpse of themselves in the mirror above the sink. Their hair a dank mess, and their clothes crumpled in random spots with dirt stains. Into the laundry, they go.

By the time the water started running, Gerard could faintly hear chopping from the kitchen.  
They sat down in the bath and let the hot water run over their skin, washing away the bitter feeling from the bus and protecting Ray’s gentle touch on them.

He was fully relaxed now. At home with his partner. About to have dinner. And then? Whatever he could probably want. They could check out what movies are on TV at that time, or just talk. Everything was a good option for him when it involved Ray.

But he had to leave the shower at some point.

He climbed out and dried off, putting on his clothes and running a hand through his hair to make sure it looked semi-decent at the very least.

The closer he got back to the kitchen, the stronger the rich smell of roasting tomatoes got. Ray was chopping up a salad. He snuck behind him and pulled Ray closer by the waist, placing a kiss on the nape of his neck. “What’s cooking, good looking?”

They felt his laugh run through his chest. “The tomatoes grew, so I thought I could make a nice sauce with them. How does a risotto sound to you?” He asked Gerard, a recipe book open in front of him on the counter.

“Wonderful.” They sighed, smiling in delight, intoxicated by the smells surrounding them. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Well now that you mention it,” he pressed his hand to his chin, thinking for a moment, “I can’t watch over the stove while simultaneously cutting up vegetables. Think you can do that for me, baby?”

Gerard removed his hands from Ray’s waist and grabbed the wooden spoon in the pot, stirring softly.

A moment of silence. “Can you tell me how your day was again?” Gerard blurted out, both of them turning to look at each other in the same moment.

Ray’s mouth stretched into a side grin, while his eyes indicated slight confusion. “Again? Aren’t you getting bored?”

“No! I cut you off last time.” He nudged Ray's leg with his foot playfully. “And I wanna hear it in person.”

Ray pretended to think for a second, kicking back at Gerard, before he smiled. “Alright.” Gerard slowed down his cooking pace and leaned on Ray’s shoulder, looking up at him and completely tuning into the conversation. 

He thought it was nice to hear at least one person in this house had a semi-pleasant day. But he was glad it was Ray, he deserved it.

The world seemed to just fade away whenever they talked to each other. It has been that way since he could remember. 

He remembered the old days of MyChem; he’d pace around the room nervously, cigarette loosely hanging off the side of his mouth, trying his damn hardest to describe melodies and the way songs would go, and Ray was sitting on the couch, guitar in hand - surprisingly understanding him completely and being able to translate the nonsense he was spewing into actual music.

He remembered being unable to sleep on tour sometimes, getting up and going outside to sit on the pavement until he felt like he could fall asleep. Ray had the same problem. Eventually, it stopped being a biweekly occurrence of Gerard having sleeping problems, and became a daily talk at like, 3 am with Toro outside just because he felt like it. And Ray didn’t seem to mind it at all.

He remembered their first date - sort of a first date, as it started as a normal friendly “hey, let’s go get pizza!”, but then developed into a “hey, let’s go over to your place and makeout.” There was always slight tension, whether it’d be plain romantic or sexual, so Gerard happily went along with it. He remembered them crashing on the couch the moment they got back, Ray trying to kiss every single centimetre on Gerard’s face, and Gerard humming and tugging at his shirt softly. It wasn’t clear who tried to lean in first, but they bumped their foreheads together in an attempt so kiss, knocking each other back. There were a few seconds of silence before Toro burst out laughing, trying to apologize but just making Gerard laugh as well instead. 

“Yeah, we should probably take it slower,” Ray suggested, rubbing his forehead and leaning back on the couch. Gerard climbed into his lap and nuzzled against the soft shirt covering his collarbones, “Yeah,” They agreed, sinking into Ray’s hand that now rested on their lower back, “we should.”

Taking it slowly turned into a date here and then, and then THAT turned into a full relationship. They were happy. Then Ray popped the question, a few years after the MCR split.

“You remember?” Gerard asked Ray, pushing back and forth at the last grains of rice on his plate. “How everything started?” He didn’t look up, but he could tell he was smiling nostalgically. “Of course I remember.” He replied, reaching over and running a hand through Gerard’s hair.

He smiled shyly, putting his hand over Ray’s and pulling it down to his face, tracing over his fingers and resting their fingers on top of each other, their wedding rings clanking softly. “I didn’t really..” Their voice trailed off for a moment. “I didn’t really think it’ll end up this way.”

They looked up at Ray, a smile stretching at the corners of their cheeks. “But I know I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

Ray shuffled his chair closer, pulling Gerard into his lap and pressing a peck to their forehead. “I love you.” He whispered softly. “I love you too,” Gerard replied, burying their face in the warmth of his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” Gerard dragged his face up, twirling a curl in his fingers. “I’ll do the dishes.”

“You always know what to say.” They both snickered, Gerard getting up to clear the table and Ray to get a blanket from the bedroom.

“So, what are we watching?” Gerard asked, climbing over the couch to get in the blanket with Ray. He already changed clothes as well, getting into some pyjama pants and a long-sleeved shirt. “Mhm,” Ray checked, “Some killer movie. There’s a horror marathon apparently.” 

Gerard sunk into the couch, pushing the blanket up to his nose and sighing. “You know you can go to bed if you want to, Gee.” Ray said, rubbing his partner’s stomach softly under the blanket. Gerard stretched into his gentle touch, sliding to rest on his arm. “No no, I want to be with you.” He yawned once again, poking at Ray’s cheek.

“You’re really affectionate today, did you notice that?” Ray teased his partner, who in return blushed and smiled. “If I’m overly affectionate, then what are you?” They riddled back. Ray wrapped his arm around them in a cheesy, ‘oops-i-yawned-and-stretched-my-arm’ fashion, and nuzzled the side of their face. “I’m the devoted husband looking after my partner who was stupid enough to say yes.”

Gerard laughed and flicked his forehead, “you’re such a fucking dork sometimes,” they said, “I love it.” “Oh, you wanna talk about being a dork?” Ray grabbed his shoulder and rubbed his black hair messily while Gerard flailed his arms in a poor attempt to kick him off.

“You’re the dorkiest here, you dork.” Ray taunted him lightheartedly, squeezing him tight to his chest. “If this was a school, you’d be the little nerd who gets his lunch money stolen.”

“Hey! What happened to ‘I’m the devoted husband looking after my partner’, you jerk?” Gerard shoved his head against the underneath of his chin, this time being the one to mess up his own hair. “Just for that attitude I’ll take both your lunch money and shove you into a locker.” Ray laughed, pushing him against the couch and wrapping the blanket around him, making a closing locker door sound.

“Help!” Gerard called out in an oh so dramatic squeaky voice, thrashing against the imaginary locker. “Someone is picking on someone smaller than them!”

They felt Ray pulling them up with the blanket and slamming them (gently) against the couch, pretending to punch them in the stomach. “Give me your lunch money!” He said in a ridiculously deep voice.

“Since when is the bully the fucking exterminator?” Gerard laughed, kicking at Ray. “Ever since you decided to be a nerd!” He tried keeping the low tone but reverted back to his own voice when he started giggling.

Gerard stopped kicking and closed his eyes - as if there was something he could see through the blanket -, achieving a euphoric state simply by listening to his lover laugh. It was little moments like this that made him forget all of the anguish he felt today. The anguish that he decided Ray shouldn’t know off, at least not now.

The laugh died out and the couch shifted, and Gerard opened the blanket to inhale the sudden cold air of the cottage. They got up and found the couch empty, and looking around a bit more, they found both the living room and the kitchen empty too.

"Ray, honey?" He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the hallway. "Did you go to bed?"

Cautiously, he got up from the couch and slowly creaked down the hallway, reaching down to open the bedroom door and staring off into the empty darkness of the room before their eyes adjusted and-

“BOO!” Ray yelled behind them, having stalked them from his hiding in the bathroom. Gerard screamed some anxious curses and turned around, balling their fists up and launching a petty attack at their husband, who started running away laughing and saying things like “Oh my god, you should’ve seen your face!” and “Don’t kill me!”

A chase ensued in rounds around the couch, occasionally both of them stopping on opposite sides and trying to juke each other with Ray making peace treaties and Gerard making death threats.

Eventually, Ray managed to trick Gee and bolted for the bedroom, leaping on the bed with Gerard on his heels. “Break time, break time!” Ray pleaded, half laughing as Gerard pounded at him lightly. “Please!”

“No way!” Gerard exclaimed, jumping on Ray’s torso and wrapping his legs around him, punching his shoulder. Ray grabbed him and turned them around so he’d be on top, and pulled up his shirt to start attacking his stomach with kisses. That just made Gerard punch harder, his loud laugh bouncing off of the bedroom walls. “W-Wait, I’m reconsidering the peace treaty!”

“We have suppressed past the need for a peace treaty now, Gerard!” Ray stated between kisses, running his hands on the parts his mouth didn’t reach. Gerard laughed to the point of tears, asking for a stop between sobs and laughs.

Ray, suddenly feeling generous, got up and pressed his forehead against Gerard’s, smiling at his rapidly relaxing laughter as he wiped away some tears. “God, I hate you.” Gerard regained his breath, wrapping his hands around Ray’s neck. “Good thing I love you enough for the both of us,” Ray replied tenderly, locking his hands around his back.

“Mmm, really?” Gerard looked into his eyes, getting lost in them. “Yes, really,” Ray reaffirmed, hoisting Gerard to rest his head against the soft pillow.

“How much?” Gerard trailed his fingers across the features of his husband’s face, only lit up by the warm-toned light pouring in from the hallway. “I can’t even begin to describe how much.” He took Gee’s hand and gently kiss the ring finger. “But know this is a sign of it.”

Gerard smiled again. Then Ray rose slightly and trailed his cheek, his fingers drawing back wet. “Why are you crying?” He asked, so faintly and warmly it was like trying to listen to sunlight. He had no other reaction than to shrug. “I-I don’t know.” Gerard covered his mouth, wiping away more tears with his shoulder. “I’m just… Really happy,” He sobbed, Ray gently cradling him in his arms. “You make me so happy.”

“I love you so much,” Ray muttered, giving Gerard enough space to coil into his chest, spreading his hands under his shirt. “please stay tomorrow. Work from home.” He begged gently.

“I will.” Gerard nodded eagerly, bringing his face up to Ray’s and kissing his cheek. “We can make breakfast together,” his husband suggested, leaning in to kiss Gerard, breaking away but not pulling away, “you can help me in the garden, we can go on a hike, go to the market and get those cute porcelain statues you love.” He cupped Gerard’s face gently. “We can do anything you want, as long as you stay.”

People tend to get more emotional during a state of tiredness. Gerard thought they should stay up together late more if it meant having loving conversations like this.

“I’ll stay for as long as you want me to, I don’t need bribing,” Gerard nestled into the soft embrace of his husband, “the only thing I need is you.”

Ray chuckled very faintly, both of them remaining in a gentle embrace, breathing rhythmically with each other as they slowly fell asleep, Gerard staying up last as the heartwarming thoughts of tomorrow’s plans plagued their mind and dreams.

**Author's Note:**

> take a shot each time i write the following words:  
> husband  
> gently  
> softly  
> any variation of the word wrap


End file.
